The mysterious and dramatic events take place in the lives of two boxers who want to succeed as police men and are promoted to investigators, working together and being close to each other, but their lives turn and collapse when they investigate the killing of the black Dahlia in a series of mysterious events.
Ellroy's prose crawls into characters' secret hearts and under the reader's skin, but its foetid horrors become kitschy here, the script too streamlined and the lead performances too shallow to dredge the story's depths.
An over indulgent and often confusing stab at film noir, The Black Dahlia leaves little to be desired as director Brian De Palma continues to prove that his best days are behind him.
